Qatar MotoGP 2016

No more testing, the 2016 MotoGP championship finally gets underway at the 3.3 mile floodlit Losail circuit, with all signs pointing towards reigning champ Jorge Lorenzo as the man to beat.

The factory Yamaha rider set an incredible 11 laps under the lap records over the winter, while his team-mate and rival Valentino Rossi only managed one.

Will Marquez finally click with the new Honda, control ECU and Michelin tyres, or will he just be an occasional annoyance for the title contenders? And let's not forget th surprise of winter testing - wunderkid Maverick Vinales, who pushed Lorenzo all the way in testing in just his second year on the Suzuki.

Year: ALL

US MotoGP: Ben Spies confident big gap can be reduced

23 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Ben Spies confident big gap can be reduced

Ben Spies is confident he can get closer to the fastest pace in Laguna Seca after he finished the opening day of practice for his home MotoGP round in fifth position. Spies finished over half-a-second...

US MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow stuck in 13th

23 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow stuck in 13th

Cal Crutchlow finished 13th fastest in both MotoGP practice sessions at the Laguna Seca track in California yesterday. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider, experimenting with a radically revised...

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo happy to set Laguna pace

23 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo happy to set Laguna pace

Jorge Lorenzo survived a huge scare to top the timesheets on the first day of practice for the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. The reigning world champion set the benchmark with a 1.22.056 to finish...

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo fastest to deny Honda trio

23 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo fastest to deny Honda trio

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo ended the first day of practice for the US Grand Prix on top of the timesheets to deny Repsol Honda trio Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso at Laguna...

US MotoGP: Casey Stoner fastest in first practice

22 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Casey Stoner fastest in first practice

Casey Stoner has made a flying start to the US Grand Prix weekend to set the quickest time in opening MotoGP practice session at a cool and overcast Laguna Seca in California. The Repsol Honda rider,...

US MotoGP: ‘Tough to be so far away’ says Nicky Hayden

22 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: ‘Tough to be so far away’ says Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden has admitted it has been tough to be finishing so far off the pace in MotoGP after Ducati experienced a dismal first half of the season in 2011. Hayden goes into his home race at Laguna...

US MotoGP: Casey Stoner aims to stretch title advantage

22 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Casey Stoner aims to stretch title advantage

Casey Stoner says his main goal in this weekend’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in California will be to stretch his title lead over reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo heading into the summer...

Suzuki confirm Brno wild card for John Hopkins

21 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki confirm Brno wild card for John Hopkins

Suzuki has confirmed John Hopkins will join Alvaro Bautista on a factory GSV-R machine at next month’s Czech Republic MotoGP round in Brno, as was first reported by MCN back in May. Hopkins, who is...

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo expects strong threat from Ben Spies

21 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

US MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo expects strong threat from Ben Spies

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo is expecting factory Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies to pose a strong threat for victory in this weekend’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Spies is confident he can...

Kevin Schwantz surprised at Valentino Rossi’s Ducati struggle

21 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Kevin Schwantz surprised at Valentino Rossi’s Ducati struggle

Kevin Schwantz has spoken of his surprise that Valentino Rossi is struggling so much to master Ducati’s Desmosedici in 2011. The 32-year-old arrives in California this weekend on the back of his worst...

Yamaha cautious on Jorge Lorenzo’s Motegi boycott plan

21 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha cautious on Jorge Lorenzo’s Motegi boycott plan

Yamaha has said it is too early to decide what action could be taken against reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo if he honours his vow not to ride in the Japanese Grand Prix in October. Lorenzo has...

Casey Stoner looks to return to winning ways

20 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner looks to return to winning ways

Casey Stoner might be enjoying the best run of podium finishes in his MotoGP career , but the world championship leader wants a quick return to winning ways in the face of mounting pressure from...

Ben Bostrom lands shock Laguna Seca MotoGP chance

20 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ben Bostrom lands shock Laguna Seca MotoGP chance

Ben Bostrom has landed a shock chance to make his MotoGP debut at the age of 37 having been confirmed as a wild card for this weekend’s US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Bostrom was given permission by...

Ducati working harder than ever, says Nicky Hayden

20 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati working harder than ever, says Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden says Ducati is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to compete at the front again in MotoGP after a dismal opening half of the 2011 world championship. The Bologna factory has scored just...

Rossi and Hayden back in testing mode at Laguna Seca

20 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Rossi and Hayden back in testing mode at Laguna Seca

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will practically revert back to winter testing mode as both prepare for this weekend’s US Grand Prix at the spectacular Laguna Seca circuit. The factory Ducati duo are...

Valentino Rossi undecided on Japan participation

19 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi undecided on Japan participation

Valentino Rossi has said he will wait to hear the results of an independent investigation before making his final decision on whether he will race in the Japanese Grand Prix on October 2. Rossi has...

Loris Capirossi determined to ride in Laguna Seca

19 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Loris Capirossi determined to ride in Laguna Seca

Loris Capirossi will travel to California to try and compete in this weekend’s American Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. The Italian veteran withdrew from last weekend’s German round at the Sachsenring...

Ben Spies fired up for Laguna Seca, says Yamaha boss

19 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies fired up for Laguna Seca, says Yamaha boss

Yamaha is confident Ben Spies can win at least another two races in 2011 after the American broke his MotoGP victory duck in Assen last month. And factory boss Lin Jarvis has backed Spies to mount a...

Valentino Rossi expects Jerry Burgess back in America

19 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi expects Jerry Burgess back in America

Valentino Rossi expects trusted crew chief Jerry Burgess to be back pulling the strings in his factory Ducati garage at this weekend’s American Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Burgess has been absent from...

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi slumps at Sachsenring

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi slumps at Sachsenring

Valentino Rossi admitted he could do nothing more after slumping to his worst finish for Ducati in 2011 at the Sachsenring yesterday. The Italian ended a dire weekend down in a lowly ninth position as...

German MotoGP: Casey Stoner: ‘I’m not ecstatic’

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Casey Stoner: ‘I’m not ecstatic’

Casey Stoner dropped from first to third for the second MotoGP race in a row yesterday when he failed to fend off Spanish duo Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in a captivating German MotoGP race. The...

German MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa savours fairytale win

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa savours fairytale win

Jubilant Dani Pedrosa put his injury heartache behind him in emphatic fashion yesterday, the Spanish rider storming to a surprise victory in an enthralling German MotoGP race at the...

German MotoGP: Arm pain slows Jorge Lorenzo

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Arm pain slows Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo blamed an old habit he’s not shaken from his 125GP days for his failure to deny compatriot Dani Pedrosa a fairytale victory in Germany yesterday. The reigning world champion rides with...

German MotoGP: Slow start costs Ben Spies

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Slow start costs Ben Spies

A lack of edge grip in the early laps of yesterday’s German MotoGP race put paid to Ben Spies’ hopes of claiming his third rostrum of the season. The Texan was in sixth place for all but one corner in...

German MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista stuns Ducati duo

18 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista stuns Ducati duo

Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista says he produced the best final lap of his MotoGP career to pass factory Ducati duo Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. The Spaniard finished seventh in yesterday’s German...

German MotoGP: Pedrosa takes victory

17 July 2011 by Liam Marsden

German MotoGP: Pedrosa takes victory

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has won at the Sachsenring in Germany in only his second race since breaking his collarbone. Current champion Jorge Lorenzo managed to decrease Casey Stoner’s...

German MotoGP: Marquez takes Moto2 win

17 July 2011 by Liam Marsden

German MotoGP: Marquez takes Moto2 win

Kalex rider Stefan Bradl was denied victory at his home Grand Prix after a race long battle with championship rival Marc Marquez. Marquez pulled away from thie field early on in the race, and looked...

German MotoGP: Faubel wins 125GP in photo finish

17 July 2011 by Liam Marsden

German MotoGP: Faubel wins 125GP in photo finish

Aspar Aprilia rider Hector Faubel has won the 125GP race at the Sachsenring in Germany after a photo finish with Frenchman Johann Zarco. Even after studying the video of the pair, officials were...

Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo confirm Motegi boycott

16 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo confirm Motegi boycott

Current MotoGP world championship leader Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo have confirmed today that they won’t attend the Japanese MotoGP race in October, regardless of whether an independent inspection...

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi poised to ditch new Ducati

16 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi poised to ditch new Ducati

Valentino Rossi could ditch Ducati’s radically revamped new GP11.1 following tomorrow’s German MotoGP race after the Italian finished in an embarrassing 16th place in qualifying earlier today. The...

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi slump shocks rivals

16 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Valentino Rossi slump shocks rivals

Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa have all expressed their surprise at Valentino Rossi’s dismal performance at the Sachsenring this weekend. Struggling to make the new Ducati GP11.1...

German MotoGP: Marquez takes Moto2 pole

16 July 2011 by Liam Marsden

German MotoGP: Marquez takes Moto2 pole

125GP champion Marc Marquez starts tomorrow’s Moto2 rae from pole position ahead of championship leader Stefan Bradl, with Aleix Espagaro completing the front row. Pirro heads the second row, ahead of...

German MotoGP: Stoner steals pole

16 July 2011 by Liam Marsden

German MotoGP: Stoner steals pole

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s MotoGP race at the Sachsenring from pole position after taking pole position from free practice pace setter Marco Simoncelli. Team-mate Dani...

German MotoGP: Casey Stoner 'lucky' after big crash

15 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Casey Stoner 'lucky' after big crash

Casey Stoner believes this morning’s crash-strewn opening practice session in Germany should have been red flagged on safety grounds. The Australian said the cold track temperature and slow warm-up...

German MotoGP: Rider power forces Bridgestone action

15 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Rider power forces Bridgestone action

Bridgestone will succumb to rider power and make major changes to its MotoGP tyre supply deal after a spate of cold tyre crashes in 2011. The entire MotoGP grid apart from Czech Republic rider Karel...

German MotoGP: Cold front tyre caused Valentino Rossi’s big crash

15 July 2011 by Matthew Birt

German MotoGP: Cold front tyre caused Valentino Rossi’s big crash

Valentino Rossi blamed a cold front Bridgestone tyre for his high-speed crash in this morning’s opening practice session for the German MotoGP. The Italian lost the front as he tipped into the fast...